Final drive construction for tractors



June 39, 1951 R. 6. LE TOURNEAU FINAL DRIVE CONSTRUCTION FOR TRACTORS Original Filed April 22, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN! IN TOR.

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INVENTOR R,G,LeT0u.rnw

ATTORNEYS Patented June 19, 1951' FINAL DRIVE CONSTRUCTION FOR TRACTORS" Robert G. Le Tourneau, Longview, Tex, assignor to R. G. Le Tonmeau, Inc., Stockton, CaliL, a corporation of California 7 Original application April 22, 1946, Serial No.

664,079. Divided and this application Septem- -ber 17, 1948, Serial No. 49,751

4 Claims. 1

This invention is directed to, and it is an ob- I ject to provide, a novel, final drive construction for tractors, the present application being a division of application Serial No. 664,079, filed April 22, 1946, on Two Wheel Tractor, now Patent No. 2,454,070, dated November 16, 1948.

Another object of the invention is to provide a final drive construction which is particularly adapted for use in a. two wheel tractor coupled by a power steering unit to a trailing implement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a final drive construction which includes, in supporting relation to the driving instrumentalities, a novel housing or case assembly.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a final drive structure which is simplified but rugged in construction, and requires a minimum of maintenance and service.

A further object of the invention is to produce a practical and reliable final drive construction for tractors.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a two-wheel tractor of the type in which the invention is embodied.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, mainly diagrammatic plan view, illustrating the final drive construction in section.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the two-wheel tractor in which the invention is adapted to be embodied, comprises a final drive housing I of welded sheet steel and thus of heavy duty construction. Transversely spaced side beams 2 are fixed at the rear end to housing I and project forward in supporting relation to an enginev unit 3 connected, in actuating relation, to the hereinafter described final drive.

The tractor is supported, adjacent but short of its rear end, by means of a pair of transversely spaced, ground engaging wheels 4 which carry large pneumatic tires 5 of high flotation type.

.The top of the final drive housing I forms a rear deck 6, and an upstanding power steering unit I is mounted on said deck; such power steering unit serving also as a means to couple the tractor to a trailing implement, and for this purpose includes a rearwardly facing attachment head 8.

A fuel tank 9 may be mounted on and project rearwardly from the final drive housing I, and

the operator's seat I0 is mounted on the tractor between the engine unit 3 and the power steering unit 1.

The engine unit 3 drives rearwardly through a transmission II into a final drive assembly in the housing I, as follows:

Thefinal drive housing I includes a central case I2 and end cases I3 formed in rigid unitary relation therewith; said end cases I3 being provided with removable end plates I4. The drive shaft I5, from the transmission II, extends into the central case.I2 through a; bearing I6, and within said case is fitted with a bevel pinion I 1. Rearwardly of the bevel pinion I! there is a horizontal, transversely extending drive sleeve I8 supported, at opposite ends, by vbearing bosses I9 in the ends of the central case I2. Adjacent one end the sleeve I8 is fitted with a bevel drive gear 20 which includes thereon a brake drum 2| surrounded by a brake band unit 22, which brake band unit is under the control of the foot and hand brake accessible to the operator by linkage connections (not shown).

The drive sleeve I8 has a differential 23 interposed therein, and oppositely extending axles 24 lead from the differential 23 through the sleeve I8 and out of the central case I2 through bearings 25 in the ends of the latter.

Within the end cases I3 the axles 24 include drive pinions 26 which run in mesh with relatively large-diameter main gears 21 on laterally projecting wheel spindles 28 journaled in said end cases and projecting outwardly therefrom. The pneumatic-tired wheels 4 are secured on said spindles 23.

Outwardly of the pinions 26 the axles 24 are carried in bearings 29 in the end plates I4.

The described final drive construction is of simplified but durable design, and initial assembly thereof, as well as subsequent access for servicing or maintenance, is readily accomplished upon removal of the end plates I4; the interior of said central case I2 being accessible from the end cases I3 when the latter are open.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A final drive construction for a tractor, including a central case, a transverse drive sleeve in the central case, hearing means journaling the sleeve at opposite ends in connection with corresponding ends of the central case, a dinerential interposed'in the drive sleeve intermediate its ends, the sleeve forming a part of the differential, axles responsive to the differential leading out of opposite ends of the sleeve and projecting laterally beyond opposite ends of the central case, a drive shaft entering the central case through a transverse wall thereof, a bevel pinion on the drive shaft in the central case, a gear on the sleeve driven by said bevel pinion, end cases beyond opposite ends of the central case, the axles extending into the end cases, spindle mounted wheels journaled in connection with the end cases and disposed laterally out therefrom, and wheel drive means in the end cases connected to and actuated by said axles.

2. A final drive construction for a tractor, including a central case, a transverse drive sleeve in the central case, bearing means journaling the sleeve at opposite ends in connection with corresponding ends of the central case, a difierential interposed in the drive sleeve intermediate its ends, the sleeve forming a part of the differential, axles responsive to the difierential leading out of opposite ends of the sleeve and projecting laterally beyond opposite ends of the central case, a drive shaft entering the central case through a transverse wall thereof, a bevel pinion on the drive shaft in the central a gear on the sleeve driven by said bevel pinion. end-cases beyond opposite ends of the central case, the axles extending into the end cases, spindle mounted wheels journaled in connection with the end cases and disposed laterally out therefrom, a wheel drive gear in each end case, and a pinion in each end case on the axle and in mesh with the adjacent gear.

3. In a. two-wheel tracts-r including a final drive housing having rigid side beams fixed thereon in transversely spaced, forwardly pro- 4 jecting relation, drive wheels mounted on the final drive housing to the sides of the latter, an engine supported by the side beams, a final drive assembly in said housing and coupled to the wheels, and driving connections between the engine and said final drive assembly; the final drive housing including, in unitary relation, a central case and end cases at opposite ends of the central case, and the final drive assembly comprising a transverse drive sleeve journaled at opposite ends in the central case, a gear on the sleeve, 9. driving pinion in mesh with the gear said pinion being driven by driving connections. a differential interposed in the sleeve, axles in the sleeve extending in opposite directions from the diflferential, said axles being journaled in corresponding ends of the central case and projecting into the adjacent end cases, a pinion on REFERENCES cirnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,210,754 Beatty Jan. 2, 1917 1,810,635 White June 16, 1931 2,232,154 Wagner Feb. 18, 1941 2,247,668 Rosenthal July 1, 1941 2,268,601 Knox Jan. 6, 1942 2,345,351 'Maxon et a1. Mar. 28, 1944 2,361,935 French Nov. '7, 1944 2,378,615 Brown June 19, 1945 Le Tourneau Nov. 16, 1948 

